IELTS Task 1 Formal Letters - Ultimate Guide

Summary

In this video, the presenter introduces a new strategy for writing task one formal letters, particularly for students preparing for exams. The approach focuses on simplifying the process by distinguishing between formal and informal letters and excluding semi-formal letters. Key steps include identifying the letter type, thoroughly understanding the task prompt, and planning before writing. The strategy emphasizes using personal experiences to make the letter coherent, structuring the content into four main points, and ensuring each point is sufficiently detailed. The presenter also highlights the importance of proofreading and enhancing vocabulary to elevate the overall quality of the letter.

Takeaways

• 📝 Understand the difference between formal and informal letters. If the word 'friend' is included, it's informal. Otherwise, it's formal.
• 💡 Always read the prompt carefully before starting to write. This will help prevent mistakes and save time.
• ✍️ Use personal experiences to relate to the prompt, making it easier to write a coherent letter.
• ⚠️ Ensure that the explanation in the letter makes logical sense to maintain coherence and cohesion.
• 📋 Plan the letter before writing by breaking it down into clear sections (e.g., introduction, reason for cancellation, request for another course).
• 🖊️ Start the letter by stating the purpose clearly, like 'I am writing to cancel my recently booked part-time course'.
• 🔢 Aim for 40-60 words for each bullet point or section to meet the 150-word minimum requirement.
• 🔍 Add details that are necessary for the reader to understand your situation, such as course start date or booking reference.
• 💼 When explaining why you need to cancel, provide a realistic and coherent reason that aligns with the request for an alternative course.
• 🔄 After writing, review the letter for grammar mistakes, repetitive vocabulary, and opportunities to upgrade words for clarity.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is teaching a new strategy for writing task one formal letters in under 20 minutes, while also adding a personal challenge for the teacher to write a Band 9 response.

What is the first step in the formal letter strategy?

The first step is determining whether the letter is formal or informal. If the prompt includes 'friend,' it is informal; otherwise, it is formal.

Why does the teacher emphasize reading the prompt carefully before writing?

Reading the prompt carefully helps students understand the task fully and avoid getting lost while writing, which can waste time and negatively affect both task one and task two scores.

How does the teacher suggest making the letter writing process easier?

The teacher suggests relating the prompt to personal real-life experiences to make it easier to write about and maintain coherence.

Why is it important to ensure coherence in the letter?

Coherence is important because the letter needs to make logical sense. For example, if a student says they can't study due to grief, it wouldn't make sense to ask about booking a different course in the same letter.

What is the significance of the '40 to 60' rule in the strategy?

The '40 to 60' rule means writing around 40 to 60 words for each bullet point in the task prompt. This ensures that the response is detailed enough and hits the 150-word requirement without being too long.

Why does the teacher recommend putting yourself in the reader's shoes?

The teacher recommends imagining the reader knows nothing about your situation, which encourages the writer to provide enough detail and clarity for the reader to understand the context.

What does the teacher suggest doing after writing the letter?

The teacher suggests checking for grammar and spelling mistakes, and improving vocabulary by replacing repetitive words with appropriate synonyms, without changing the meaning.

How does the teacher approach upgrading vocabulary in the letter?

The teacher looks for words that are repeated frequently, like 'course,' and replaces them with higher-level synonyms, such as 'pathway' or 'program,' to showcase a range of vocabulary.

What is the teacher’s final advice for formal and informal letters?

For both formal and informal letters, the teacher suggests signing off with 'Kind regards,' as it is suitable for both styles, reducing the complexity of deciding how to end the letter.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Writing a Formal Letter Strategy

The speaker introduces a strategy for writing a formal letter in response to a task one prompt within an IELTS exam. The challenge is to write a band 9 response in under 20 minutes. The strategy begins with determining if the letter is formal or informal, with the speaker advising to disregard semi-formal letters. The key to distinguishing between formal and informal is the presence of the word 'friend'; if it's absent, the letter is formal. The speaker uses a sample prompt about canceling a part-time course booking at a college to illustrate the strategy.

05:03

🔍 Understanding the Task and Planning the Letter

The speaker emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding the task before writing. Students are often advised against jumping straight into writing to avoid losing focus and wasting time. The task involves writing to a college administrator to cancel a course booking and inquire about a different course. The speaker suggests relating the task to personal experiences to make the writing more coherent and cohesive. A structured approach is introduced with bullet points labeled one to four, each representing a section of the letter, and the aim is to write 40 to 60 words for each section to meet the 150-word minimum requirement.

10:05

✍️ Writing the Letter: Structure and Detail

The speaker outlines the process of writing the letter, starting with a formal salutation like 'Dear Sir or Madam'. The first paragraph should state the purpose of the letter, which is to cancel the recently booked part-time course. The speaker advises against copying words directly from the prompt but suggests paraphrasing and using synonyms to avoid repetition. Each paragraph should contain 40 to 60 words, providing enough detail to help the reader understand the situation. The speaker uses a personal anecdote about a spouse visa to explain why the course needs to be canceled and asks about booking a different course, such as a general English course, to improve pronunciation or business English skills.

15:08

🏁 Concluding the Letter and Converting to Informal Style

The speaker concludes the letter with a formal sign-off like 'Kind regards', which is suitable for both formal and informal letters. The final steps involve checking for grammar and spelling mistakes and enhancing vocabulary where appropriate. The speaker demonstrates how to replace repetitive words with synonyms to showcase a wider range of vocabulary without compromising accuracy. The video also briefly touches on how to convert the formal letter into an informal one, suggesting that the strategy is adaptable for different types of letters.

Keywords

💡Formal letter

A formal letter is a type of communication where the language is professional and respectful. In the video, the teacher emphasizes that if the recipient isn't a friend, it is a formal letter. This distinction sets the tone for the rest of the writing process and impacts how one structures the response.

💡Informal letter

An informal letter is more casual and typically used when writing to friends or family. The video contrasts this with formal letters, making it clear that identifying the correct type of letter is the first critical step in the task. In this case, the absence of 'friend' in the prompt indicates the letter is formal.

💡Coherence and cohesion

Coherence refers to the logical flow of ideas, while cohesion involves the connections between sentences and paragraphs. The teacher discusses how the letter's content must make sense, such as avoiding contradictory statements like grieving a loss while requesting to book another course. Ensuring both coherence and cohesion is essential for clarity.

💡IELTS

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an English proficiency test. The teacher uses it as an example of a course that might need to be canceled in a formal letter. By relating the task to real-life situations, such as changing from an academic to general training module, it makes the content more personal and easier to write.

💡General Training

General Training refers to a less academic version of an English language test, often required for visa applications or employment. In the video, the teacher uses it as part of the reason for switching courses, making the explanation for canceling a booking more realistic and logical.

💡Spouse visa

A spouse visa is a type of visa for individuals seeking to join their partner in another country. The teacher mentions a spouse visa application as a reason for changing from an academic course to a general training course, showing how personal circumstances can be tied into the task.

💡Bullet points

The task prompt in IELTS writing usually includes several bullet points that must be addressed. In this video, the teacher explains how to break down each bullet point into a structured paragraph, ensuring that all required information is included, such as course details and reasons for cancellation.

💡Word count

The video emphasizes writing 40 to 60 words for each bullet point to ensure that the letter meets the required length of 150 words. Keeping an eye on the word count helps in developing ideas sufficiently while staying within time limits, a crucial strategy in IELTS writing.

💡Booking reference

A booking reference is a unique identifier for a reservation. The teacher uses it as an example of the specific details that need to be included in the letter to help the reader process the request efficiently. Including such details demonstrates clarity and thoroughness in communication.

💡Vocabulary improvement

In the video, the teacher suggests revisiting the letter after drafting it to improve vocabulary. The goal is to replace repetitive words, like 'course,' with synonyms like 'pathway' or 'program,' showcasing a broader range of language skills. This is key to scoring higher in the lexical resource category.

Highlights

New strategy for teaching formal letters, focusing on practical application with a challenge to write a B9 response in under 20 minutes.

Step one is identifying if the letter is formal or informal. Remove the concept of semi-formal.

Tip for recognizing informal letters: If the word 'friend' is present, it's informal. Otherwise, it's formal.

Before writing, take a minute to understand the prompt. Rushing leads to mistakes and affects both Task 1 and Task 2 scores.

The importance of relating the letter's scenario to your real-life experiences to make writing easier and more authentic.

Planning before writing is crucial. Break down the letter into four bullet points to ensure sufficient detail and coherence.

Each bullet point should be around 40 to 60 words to ensure clarity and meet the word count requirement of over 150 words.

The start of the letter should include a clear purpose statement. Always begin by stating the reason for writing.

Explain each point clearly to help the reader understand, especially if the reader is unfamiliar with the topic.

Use real-life scenarios, such as visa changes or course requirements, to explain reasons for canceling a booking.

Ask for a suitable alternative course instead of a refund, especially one that aligns with your future career plans.

Pay attention to coherence and cohesion, ensuring that the story and request make logical sense throughout the letter.

After writing, check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Improving vocabulary is also essential but should only be done if it's accurate.

Replace repetitive words, like 'course,' with synonyms such as 'pathway' or 'programs' to show a range of vocabulary.

End the letter with 'Kind regards' for both formal and informal letters, simplifying the closing process.

Transcripts

in this video I want to share with you a

new strategy that I've been teaching my

students for task one formal letters but

to make it more interesting we're going

to add a little bit of a challenge in it

for me can I write a b nine response and

teach you at the same time how to do the

same thing all under 20 minutes let's

start the clock and let's get going so

the first part of this strategy is is it

a formal letter or is it an informal

letter what you want to do is just

remove semi-formal completely is it

formal is it informal so how do you know

if it's formal or informal if it is

informal it will include here the word

friend anything else is formal so you

recently booked a part-time course at of

college you now need to cancel your

booking there's nothing here about

friend so this is a formal letter step

one formal or informal doesn't have BR

in it let's keep going the next step is

read it to understand what is actually

going on here a big mistake that I see

students making is they will immediately

start writing and then they'll get lost

and then they'll lose time and not only

does that affect your task one score but

can also affect your task two score so

just spend a minute or so just reading

this to understand it so you recently

booked a part-time course at a college

you now need to cancel your booking

right write a letter to the college

administrator in your letter say which

part-time course you booked explain why

you need to conso your booking and ask

about a different course so the key here

is to relate it to something in your

real life so for me you recently booked

a part-time course out of college

obviously I am an a teacher so what I'm

going to do is use my own real life

experience and apply that to this

question you are an i student so you

could probably do the exact same thing

say which part-time course you booked an

i course explain why you need to cancel

your booking so again I'm going to apply

my real life knowledge to this why do

students cancel courses well it could be

that they had a death in the family it

could be that they are sick could be

that they're doing a different test like

the tofl and or pte or something like

that but ask about booking a different

course so the reason why I'm asking you

to think about this is and plan it out

before you start writing is that last

one ask about booking a different course

that could trip a few people up because

if you said you know my uh my donkey

died and you know I'm so filled with

grief that I can no longer uh study

anymore and then you're like oh but

could I book a a tofl course like that

isn't going to make any sense sense so

it has to make sense because of

coherence and cohesion like does it

actually make sense so to make it make

sense it would be okay I don't want a

academic course but could I book a

general training course or I don't want

a TOEFL course but could I book an IELTS

course something like that so you're

getting it in your head um how you're

going to plan it out that comes next so

here's the new part of the structure

that we're going to use so we're going

to write a few numbers here we're going

to write one we're going to write two

we're going to write three and we're

going to write four it'll make sense

what these mean in a second and then

here we're going to write 40 to 60 I'm

going to draw a few lines going up to

each of these bullet points so now we

need to plan out we need to add in a

little bit of detail all right so we

don't need any for here but we need

detail for each of these bullet points

so I'm going to put I Els explain why

you need to cancel your booking I'm just

going to put academic to General

training explain why I'm just going to

put Visa because I know about this

because I'm going to talk about a spouse

visa because my wife applied for a

spouse visa and this did actually happen

to her so just makes it much easier to

write about when you know what you're

talking about and ask about a different

course course may we talk about General

English so this is not a huge plan but

it means I know exactly what I'm going

to write about and then I can just start

writing and not get lost because that's

going to cost you a lot of time next

step has already been done for you start

it with Dear Sir or Madam just copy that

put it in there don't over complicate it

next what we need to do is we need to

get a pen and we need to start so parag

one what are we going to write about we

are going to start off with I am writing

two so this is just a simple way to

start your letter by showing purpose

what is the purpose of the letter you

always start off with the purpose of the

letter in paragraph one and you take

where it says one here and you basically

paraphrase this and say why you are

writing the letter you recently booked a

part-time course at a college you know I

need to conso your booking just state

that in your own words I am writing to

is there any other way of saying cancel

no so let's just copy that word because

there's no other way of saying it my

recently

booked

part-time

course at your

school so I have copied a few of the

words there and some of you might be

screaming in in the in the in the

comment section you cannot copy words

let me show you a little trick at the

end you can come back and you can

improve that but number one done all

right I'm writing to cancel my recently

booked part-time course at your school

does it make sense does it mean the same

thing let's go two so paragraph 2 bullet

point 2 skip a line start your new

sentence so say which part-time course

you booked so I'm going to talk about

ISS it is

the I let's go with

academic

course okay so do we end there no that's

where the 40 to 60 comes in all right

what does this mean it means for each of

these bullet points we need to write

around 40 to 60 words doesn't have to be

exactly like if it's 39 Don't Panic or

it's 61 but in and around there some of

them will be a little bit shorter some

of them will be a little bit longer but

it means that you are guaranteed to hit

the word limit of 150 words you have to

go over 150 words and it also means that

you're developing each bullet point

sufficiently so add in more detail what

detail would we need to think about here

when you are WR writing this think of

the reader what information does the

reader need in order to help you that

starts on the 17th of March

2024 so is this 40 to 60 words no I can

tell just by looking at it so we need to

add in more information so let's get

even more detailed here it is the

weekend

and course which

lasts 8 weeks and my

teacher is John Smith okay so we need to

add a little bit more in here what do

courses come with how would it help the

reader understand let's add in the

booking reference my booking reference

is 1 2 3 4 5 six so we're around 40

words there I can tell just by looking

at it but what helped us get there all

we were doing was focusing on the bullet

point and trying to help the reader

understand put yourself in the shoes of

the reader what information would they

need I know that's very difficult for

some students based on the emails that

we get every day next step three skip a

line and start your third paragraph

explain why you need to cancel your

booking so we need to create create some

kind of a story or add in more detail to

explain why so I'm going to use my

wife's situation related to my own life

um she was doing an academic course with

me and then H she realized that she

needed General training um because she

her particular type of Visa was a spicee

Visa I

need to

cancel why due to a change in the

United

Kingdoms

entry

requirements for their spice Visa not

sure if it's spical Visa or spice Visa

I'm sure lots of people will tell me in

the comments if I'm wrong okay so using

that technique again explain to the

reader don't assume that the reader

knows what you're talking about imagine

you're explaining this to someone who

knows nothing about spousal visas or ISS

I know that you're writing to a school

but don't assume anyone in that school

knows what you're talking about so let's

explain that in the past an i

score of 6.0 or above was

required

the academic

module however

no they

also

accept

General

training test so imagine you're sending

this to someone well well so what you

know what's that got to do with you add

in a little bit more detail to help the

person understand I

took

the

general training

test

last

year

consequently I do not

acquire

your

academic course so if you sent that to

somebody would they understand your

situation would they know what's

happening absolutely so we move on to

the next part four skip a line part 4

ask about a different course okay so we

don't need help with IELTS what would a

student doing the I test would they need

help with anything else well they might

need help with things like pronunciation

or business English or general English

so you can just add that in but it

doesn't have to be that could be

anything we're writing to a college what

the college is offer they offer courses

can we have another course what would it

be for this person so we don't need that

but we need this so however can

I take

one of your other

courses

instead of

getting a refund so what do you want

instead let's explain I

intend to apply for

for an office job when I

arrive in the UK

so

therefore

can you recommend a

suitable course that might help me

with

pronunciation or let's put

business

English is it around 40 to 60 words yes

yes yes so we're done and we can move on

so just finish it off with

kind

regards kind regards is both formal and

informal so we're just removing the

amount of complexity the amount of

things you need to think about so if

it's formal or informal just put kind

regards and then put your name not my

name cuz that'll look a bit weird Okay

final two steps and then I'll show you

how to convert it to informal what you

want to do next is check for any grammar

mistakes or any spelling mistakes I'm

going to assume that I didn't make any

hopefully I didn't make any because then

I'll look very foolish but we can move

on to the next step which is try and

improve your vocabulary so look for any

words here that are repetitive or you

could maybe upgrade to a higher level

word but only if it's correct so just

looking through this probably the the

word that is repeated the most so I've

taken course from here and I'm saying

course course course course is there

another way of saying that well all you

have to do is just go okay not that one

let's put in here

pathway your part-time

pathway that's a synonym of course

you now we've added weekend course so

we've got a cocation in there so let's

leave that in academic course another

collocation let's leave that in however

can I take one of your other courses

let's remove that let's put

programs so I'm just showing the

examiner that I have a wide range of

vocabulary and my vocabulary hopefully

is accurate now we still have you know

suitable course for example but if you

change it to something something that's

wrong then that's not going to improve

your score that's going to lower your

score and that should be you done

hopefully that was within 20 minutes if

it was a little bit more forgive me I'm

teaching you and making a video all all

the same time but if you want to know

how to write an informal letter this

video is for you